Category: Mountain West Football

UNLV Reportedly Looking at Utah DC Morgan Scalley, Oregon OC Marcus Arroyo

Will the Rebels take a coordinator from Utah or Oregon?

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UNLV Reportedly Looking at Utah DC Morgan Scalley, Oregon OC Marcus Arroyo

Pac-12 title game could feature the future UNLV head coach.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Rebels are looking for an up and coming coach.

The UNLV coaching search is underway but UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois is in no rush to pick the next coach. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that the search will likely go through late next week.

The Las Vegas-based paper has a few names to report on as well and they are young coordinators on ranked teams. Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley and Oregon offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo.

The reports say there is at least some level of mutual interest between Scalley and Arroyo; neither has been a head coach. This should make some UNLV fans more interested in tuning into the Pac-12 title game this Friday night as it is the Ducks vs. the Utes.

Scalley has been a mainstay at Utah ever since he was a player where he played safety where was named Mountain West co-defensive player of the year in 2004, the same year the Utes busted the BCS.

He is known as a great recruiter and was Utah’s recruiting coordinator from 2009 through 2016. Scalley was a big reason the Utes got talent from Texas as that was one of his primary areas in recruitment.

This year the Utes defense is one of the best in the FBS and is third in scoring defense at 11.3-points per game allowed, fourth in yards per play allowed and first in rushing yards per play allowed.

As for Arroyo, he also is the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach in addition to running the Oregon offense. Being the quarterback’s coach has to be alluring for UNLV as he is going to have a first-round, if not a top-10, quarterback selected in the upcoming NFL Draft in Justin Herbert.

In his senior year, Herbert has thrown for 3,140 yards, 31 touchdowns, only five interceptions, and is completing 67.5 percent of his passes. The Rebels could use that kind of output under center since this year saw UNLV play multiple quarterbacks with neither having overwhelming success.

Arroyo also has ties to the conference as he played quarterback at San Jose State and ultimately became its offensive coordinator and he held that same position with Wyoming for two years. He also has a year of NFL experience as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback coach in 2014.

With these two coaches involved in the Pac-12 title game, this Friday night do not expect a hire to be made.

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PODCAST: 2019 Mountain West Football Title Game Preview

Get ready for Boise State vs. Hawaii

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PODCAST: 2019 Mountain West Football Title Game Preview

What will happen between Hawaii vs. Bose State

Contact/Follow @MWCwire

We also talk some coaching news.

Jeremy and Matt are back to talk a whole lot of Mountain West football despite there being just one game. They first discuss is about the Colorado State job that opened up and what makes it an attractive job and if the Rams can turn into a G5 heavyweight. They look over the all-league awards and compare the media list and our picks as well to see what stands out.

As for the game itself, the duo goes over why each team will win and if Hawaii has to be perfect to win the second time around vs. Boise State and the answer is might be a yes. A few keys we discuss are the running game for each squad and will there be an under-the-radar player who comes up big.

They wrap with looking at the race for the New Year’s Six bowl game between Boise State and Cincy, assuming both win.

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Colorado State Football: Potential Head Coach Hires

With Mike Bobo reportedly on the outs, here are some potential replacement hires for the Rams from the P5 conferences, G5, and FCS.

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Colorado State Football: Potential Head Coach Hires

With Mike Bobo’s position as CSU head coach up in the air, here are some choices that could replace him.

Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

Who should the Rams hire to replace Bobo?

Nothing has been officially announced as of yet. But, Football Scoop is reporting that Mike Bobo is going to be let go as the head coach of Colorado State. If that is going to happen here are some potential candidates that could replace him.

ACC: Jay Bateman, Co-Defensive Coordinator, North Carolina

The dream hire would be Brent Venables, the defensive coordinator from Clemson. However that hire would be too much for CSU as Venables has a base salary of $2 million. So next up would be Jay Bateman, the current co-defensive coordinator at North Carolina.

Bateman has come in and improved the defense wherever he has coached at, with Army being his biggest accomplishment. He led Army to a top 10 defense multiple years and he shut out Air Force in 2017 which ended the Falcons’ 306 game scoring streak. He also has head coaching experience, Siena College 2000-03.

Other Options: Dan Enos (Offensive Coordinator, Miami), Phil Longo  (Offensive Coordinator, North Carolina)

Big 12: Scottie Hazelton, Defensive Coordinator, Kansas State

This name should sound familiar to Mountain West fans. Hazelton was the defensive coordinator for Nevada (2013) and Wyoming (2017-18). Hazelton has had successful stints at multiple stops in his coaching career. With his main success coming as defensive coordinator for North Dakota State.

Hazelton knows the west and knows the Mountain West so he has a leg up on some other candidates. One knock against Hazelton would be his lack of head coaching experience, but sometimes a shot needs to be taken on a coach if a team wants to change.

Other Options: Alex Grinch (Defensive Coordinator, Oklahoma), Tom Manning (Offensive Coordinator, Iowa State), Sean Gleeson (Offensive Coordinator, Oklahoma State)

Big Ten: Kalen DeBoer, Offensive Coordinator, Indiana

Another name with a Mountain West past. DeBoer was the offensive coordinator at Fresno State for two years (2017-18) and his offense’s have improved at each of his stops. His stop at Eastern Michigan saw them go from 18.8 ppg in 2013 to 29.6 ppg in 2016.

His time at Fresno State saw them averaging 34.6 ppg by the end of his tenure. DeBoer does have head coaching experience at NAIA Sioux Falls. You can knock him for coaching at that level, but you can’t deny his success. DeBoer was 67-3 during his tenure at Sioux Falls, with three NAIA National Championships.

Other Options: Josh Gattis (Offensive Coordinator, Michigan), Greg Mattison (Co-Defensive Coordinator, Ohio State), Tony Alford (Assistant Head Coach, Ohio State)

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Mountain West Football Media Announces 2019 Postseason All-Conference Team

The Mountain West football media revealed its players of the year and honored XX different teams on its postseason all-conference squad.

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Mountain West Football Media Announces 2019 Postseason All-Conference Team

The Mountain West football media revealed its players of the year and honored all 12 teams on its postseason all-conference squad.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

A lot of props to go around.

mwwire’s 2019 postseason honors:

All-Conference Teams | Offensive Player of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year | Special Teams Players of the Year | Freshmen of the Year | Coach of the Year | Coordinator of the Year

Ahead of Championship Saturday, the Mountain West Conference announced the media’s selections for its annual individual honors and the traditional two-deep of all-conference athletes.

As you might imagine, the Boise State Broncos led the way in sweeping nearly all of the individual honors, claiming three of five after entering the title game with an 11-1 record: George Holani was named the Mountain West’s top freshman, while Curtis Weaver earned Defensive Player of the Year and Avery Williams was named Special Teams Player of the Year.

The two non-Broncos to earn the conference’s major awards are San Jose State quarterback Josh Love, named Offensive Player of the Year, and Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich, who was named as the conference’s best in 2019..

Boise State and Utah State led the Mountain West with five selections each, while San Diego State has four and defending champion Fresno State has three. The only teams without representation on this year’s preseason all-conference list are San Jose State and New Mexico.

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Media Individual Honors

Offensive Player of the Year – Josh Love, QB, San Jose State
Defensive Player of the Year – Curtis Weaver, STUD, Boise State
Special Teams Player of the Year – Avery Williams, PR, Boise State
Freshman of the Year – George Holani, RB, Boise State
Coach of the Year – Nick Rolovich, Hawaii

First-Team All-Mountain West

Offense

QB – Josh Love, San Jose State
RB – Charles Williams, UNLV
RB – Xazavian Valladay, Wyoming
WR – Warren Jackson, Colorado State
WR – Cedric Byrd, Hawaii
WR – Tre Walker, San Jose State
TE – Trey McBride, Colorado State
OL – Scott Hattok, Air Force
OL – Nolan Laufenberg, Air Force
OL – Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
OL – John Molchon, Boise State
OL – Keith Ismael, San Diego State

Defense

DL – Mosese Fifita, Air Force
DL – Curtis Weaver, Boise State
DL – Dom Peterson, Nevada
DL – Myles Cheatum, San Diego State
DL – Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
LB – Justin Rice, Fresno State
LB – Mykal Walker, Fresno State
LB – Kyahva Tezino, San Diego State
LB – David Woodward, Utah State
LB – Logan Wilson, Wyoming
DB – Kekaula Kaniho, Boise State
DB – Jamal Hicks, Colorado State
DB – Luq Barcoo, San Diego State
DB – Alijah Halliburton, Wyoming

Special Teams

K – Dominik Eberle, Utah State
P – Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado
KR – Savon Scarver, Utah State
PR – Avery Williams, Boise State

Second-Team All-Mountain West

Offense

QB – Cole McDonald, Hawaii
RB – George Holani, Boise State
RB – Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State
WR – John Hightower, Boise State
WR – Jojo Ward, Hawaii
WR – Siaosi Mariner, Utah State
TE – Parker Houston, San Diego State
OL – Connor Vikupitz, Air Force
OL – Garrett Larson, Boise State
OL – Ilm Manning, Hawaii
OL – Daishawn Dixon, San Diego State
OL – Keegan Cryder, Wyoming

Defense

DL – Chase Hatada, Boise State
DL – David Moa, Boise State
DL – Keshawn Banks, San Diego State
DL – Tipa Galeai, Utah State
LB – Kyle Johnson, Air Force
LB – Demonte Meeks, Air Force
LB – Riley Whimpey, Boise State
LB – Ethan Aguayo, San Jose State
DB – Kekoa Nawahine, Boise State
DB – Jalen Walker, Boise State
DB – Tariq Thompson, San Diego State
DB – Jericho Flowers, UNLV

Special Teams

K – Brandon Talton, Nevada
P – Tyson Dyer, New Mexico
KR – John Hightower, Boise State
PR – Austin Conway, Wyoming

All-Mountain West Honorable Mentions

Air Force: Milton Bugg III, DB; Jeremy Fejedelem, DB; Jordan Jackson, DL; Timothy Jackson, FB; Jake Koehnke, PK; Zane Lewis, DB; Geraud Sanders, WR; Kadin Remsberg, RB

Boise State: John Bates, TE; Sonatane Lui, DL; Eric Quevedo, OL; Khalil Shakir, WR; Avery Williams, DB

Colorado State: Anthony Hawkins, KR; Manny Jones, DL

Fresno State: Kevin Atkins, DL; Blake Cusick, P; Juju Hughes, DB

Hawaii: Cortez Davis, DB; Rojesterman Farris II, DB; Solomon Matautia, LB; Kaimana Padello, DL; Gene Pryor, OL; Taaga Tuulima, OL; Blessman Ta‘ala, DL
Nevada: Daniel Brown, DB; Romeo Doubs, WR, PR; Gabriel Sewell, LB; Toa Taua, RB

New Mexico: Ahmari Davis, RB; Alex Hart, LB; Teton Saltes, OL; Kyle Stapley, OL

San Diego State: Matt Araiza, PK; William Dunkle, OL; Darren Hall, DB; Brandon Heicklen, P; Dwayne Johnson Jr., DB

San José State: Bailey Gaither, WR; Troy Kowalski, OL; Matt Mercurio, PK; Jack Snyder, OL

UNLV: Julio Garcia, OL; Rayshad Jackson, LB; Justin Polu, OL; Javin White, LB

Utah State: Shaq Bond, DB; Gerold Bright, RB; Jordan Love, QB; Caleb Repp, TE; Christopher Unga, DL

Wyoming: Tyler Hall, DB; Logan Harris, OL; Cassh Maluia, LB

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Colorado State Parts Ways With Mike Bobo After Five Years, Per Report

Colorado State Parts Ways With Mike Bobo After Five Years, Per Report Rams are in need of a new head coach. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Bobo is out at Colorado Springs. Colorado State athletics director Joe Parker has made the decision to …

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Colorado State Parts Ways With Mike Bobo After Five Years, Per Report

Rams are in need of a new head coach.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Bobo is out at Colorado Springs.

Colorado State athletics director Joe Parker has made the decision to part ways with head coach Mike Bobo after five years, according to Football Scoop.

Bobo finished this season with a 4-8 record and overall was 28-35.

His first three years saw him go 7-6 and appeared in three-straight bowl games, all loses and finished second in the Mountain Division twice. The prior two years saw the team take a nosedive with a combined 7-17 record.

Also what did not help is that Bobo was very bad in big games. He was 0-3 in bowl games and against rivals Colorado, Air Force, and Wyoming, the Rams were just 2-14. Plus, some Colorado State fans always felt that “this is the year” to beat Boise State and that never happened either.

This axing of Bobo is going to be an expensive one for Colorado State as the buyout is $5.5 million, which is a lot for a Group of Five program. Perhaps that could be offset by a future job for Bobo but the potential to pay that $5.5 million but this move is going to cost Colorado State a lot of money and put a lot of pressure on Parker to make this next hire a home run.

Despite Bobo having above average offenses and NFL talent like wide receivers Preston Willams (not drafted), Michael Gallup, Olabisi Johnson, and overall in his tenure there were six players drafted.

The offense was rarely the issue for Bobo but it was the defense that was among the worst in his time while in Fort Collins.

The defense was never better than sixth in yards per play allowed and that happened to be in 2019 and the scoring defense was average more often than not but the best year was three where the defense allowed the sixth-most points per game.

Another damning stat was turnover margin which does account for offense and defense but Colorado State was never above average and usually in the bottom part of the league. 2017 was the only year that the Rams had more than 10 interceptions.

This has the potential to be a really good job. Bobo has had talent come through Colorado State he has not reached what this program can become. The Rams have made significant monetary efforts into the program and that includes the building of the on-campus stadium.

The problem came down to coaching. If Colorado State can bring in a coach that can recruit near what Bobo did but surpass him in coaching the game of football, then the Rams have a chance to make some noise in the conference.

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College Football Playoff Rankings: Boise State Ranked No. 19

College Football Playoff Rankings: Boise State Ranked No. 19 Broncos move up one spot but are in trouble. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Cotton Bowl dreams up in smoke? The latest College Football Playoff rankings are out and they are not …

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College Football Playoff Rankings: Boise State Ranked No. 19

Broncos move up one spot but are in trouble.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Cotton Bowl dreams up in smoke?

The latest College Football Playoff rankings are out and they are not looking good for Boise State despite moving up one spot to No. 19. Moving up is good but the real issue that Cincinnati dropped only one spot is at No. 20 after its loss to Memphis, who are at No. 17.

Memphis and Cincinnati are playing again for the AAC title game, so it will be another ranked matchup for both teams. Clearly, if the Tigers win they are in the Cotton Bowl and logic would seem to put the Bearcats in the same position and jump Boise State who faces a 9-4 Hawaii who is not on the same level as either AAC team.

However, there is a some reason to be an optimist for Boise State to make into the Cotton Bowl based on Memphis only moving up one spot after topping the Bearcats.

Playoff Rankings

  1. Ohio State (12-0)
  2. LSU (12-0)
  3. Clemson (12-0)
  4. Georgia (11-1)
  5. Utah (11-1)
  6. Oklahoma (11-1)
  7. Baylor (11-1)
  8. Wisconsin (10-2)
  9. Florida (10-2)
  10. Penn State (10-2)
  11. Auburn (9-3)
  12. Alabama (10-2)
  13. Oregon (10-2)
  14. Michigan (9-3)
  15. Notre Dame (10-2)
  16. Iowa (9-3)
  17. Memphis (11-1)
  18. Minnesota (10-2)
  19. Boise State (11-1)
  20. Cincinnati (10-2)
  21. Appalachian State (11-1)
  22. USC (8-4)
  23. Virginia (9-3)
  24. Navy (9-2)
  25. Oklahoma State (8-4)

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Updated Mountain West Football Championship Odds

Updated Mountain West Football Championship Odds Boise State odds have dipped, a little. Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire Still a big time favorite. The Mountain West title game is a rematch between Boise State and Hawaii and the odds are …

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Updated Mountain West Football Championship Odds

Boise State odds have dipped, a little.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Still a big time favorite.

The Mountain West title game is a rematch between Boise State and Hawaii and the odds are shuffling for this matchup as both sides are angling for the best odds on the line. The game opened up as a heavy 15-point line in favor of the Broncos. 

Well, after a few days of wagering the odds are changing which should be no surprise as no line will remain the same all week.

SportsBettingDime.com reports odds for the MW title are now at 13.5 in favor of Boise State. When the Broncos hosted Hawai’i earlier this year, they cruised to a 59-37 win as 13.5-point chalk. Some may think Boise should be favored by more given the previous result, but the reality is that Hawaii shot itself in the foot with four turnovers (three in the first half) in the earlier matchup. If they don’t windup -3 in turnover differential, they have the talent to give the Broncos a game.

Also, in that first game, it ended up being closer than expected as Hawaii was able to put together a pair of touchdowns and two-point conversions for 16 points to make the final score look somewhat close. In reality, the game was close partly because of Boise State rotating in backups.

The line should be around two touchdowns by Saturday morning and that sounds about right. Even if Boise State goes back to the well and puts Jaylan Henderson in at quarterback there is no reason for concern as he will have seen Hawaii for a second time. Seeing a team twice could be huge for Henderson and the Warriors.

Would the odd be bigger if it were Chase Cord, probably not, but if it were known that Hank Bachmeier would be under center then the line would balloon to at least 17 points in favor of the Broncos.

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MWwire’s 2019 Postseason All-Conference Mountain West Football Team

In looking back at the 2019 regular season, our staff has made its selections for the best of the best from Mountain West football.

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Mountain West Wire Presents Its 2019 Postseason All-Mountain West Football Teams

In looking back at the 2019 regular season, our staff has made its selections for the best of the best from Mountain West football.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS and @MWCwire

Who stands out as the conference’s best from this season?

Before the Mountain West football championship kicks off in Boise this Saturday, our staff has put their heads together to determine who deserves recognition as part of our postseason all-conference teams. If you’re interested in our picks from 2018, you can find that here.

Unlike our preseason all-conference selections, our postseason honor roll only goes two deep. We have, however, maintained our efforts to better reflect the variety we see week in and week out throughout the Mountain West, too, so previous changes like the FLEX defender, differentiating between guards and tackles and centers rather than just selecting offensive linemen, and so on remain intact.

If you disagree with our choices, of course, feel free to let us know what you’d have done differently on Twitter or Facebook.

This year’s voters: Jeremy Mauss, Sean O’Toole (Air Force), Raja Prabahala and Collin Clovis and Erik Smiley (Boise State), Josh Fredlund and Brad Hubbard (Colorado State), Matthew Kenerly (Fresno State), Brandon Tamanaha (Hawaii), Brandon Blake (Nevada), Roger Holien (New Mexico), Ted McGovern and Erwin Mendoza (San Diego State), Logan Jones and Sam McConkie (Utah State), and Jesse Tachiquin (Wyoming)

First Team

Offense

QB – Josh Love, San Jose State
RB – Charles Williams, UNLV
RB – Xazavian Valladay, Wyoming
WR – Warren Jackson, Colorado State
WR – Cedric Byrd, Hawaii
WR – John Hightower, Boise State
TE – Trey McBride, Colorado State
C – Garrett Larson, Boise State
G – Nolan Laufenberg, Air Force
G – Solo Vaipulu, Hawaii
T – Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
T – Parker Ferguson, Air Force

Defense

DT – Cameron Thomas, San Diego State
DT – Sonatane Lui, Boise State
DE – Dom Peterson, Nevada
DE – Myles Cheatum, San Diego State
OLB – Curtis Weaver (STUD), Boise State
OLB – Rayshad Jackson, UNLV
ILB – Logan Wilson, Wyoming
ILB – Kyahva Tezino, San Diego State
CB – Luq Barcoo, San Diego State
CB – Jericho Flowers, UNLV
S – Alijah Halliburton, Wyoming
S – Tariq Thompson, San Diego State
FLEX – Dwayne Johnson Jr. (AZTEC), San Diego State

Special Teams

K – Dominik Eberle, Utah State
P – Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado State
KR – Savon Scarver, Utah State
PR – Avery Williams, Boise State

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Dominik Eberle, Avery Williams Are MWwire’s 2019 Special Teams Players Of The Year

Utah State kicker Dominik Eberle and Boise State returner Avery Williams earn our honor as Mountain West football’s special teams standouts.

Utah State K Dominik Eberle, Boise State PR Avery Williams Are MWwire’s 2019 Special Teams Players of the Year

The Aggies kicker and Broncos punt returner earn our honor as Mountain West football’s special teams standouts.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The most special of specialists.

No matter where you look, the Mountain West has a convincing case to be college football’s richest conference when it comes to specialists, so selecting standouts was an especially tough task for our task. In the end, two athletes share our nod as special teams players of the year: Utah State kicker Dominik Eberle and Boise State punt returner Avery Williams.

Eberle proved to be as steady as ever for an Aggies offense in transition, finishing the regular season a perfect 40-for-40 on extra point tries while connecting on 19-of-22 field goal attempts, his third straight year of improvement on that front. In the process, he became the conference’s all-time leader in field goals made.

Williams, meanwhile, made his mark as an ace return specialist. For the second time in three years, the junior returned two punts for touchdowns and became one of just two FBS players this fall to turn that trick. Both provided a much-needed spark that, in part, propelled Boise State to the Mountain West championship game once again.

Also received votes: Tyson Dyer, New Mexico; Brandon Heicklen, San Diego State; Savon Scarver, Utah State; Ryan Stonehouse, Colorado State; Brandon Talton, Nevada

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Hank Bachmeier, Dante Wright Are MWwire’s 2019 Co-Freshmen of the Year

The Boise State quarterback and Colorado State wide receiver share our staff’s honor as Mountain West football’s freshmen of the year.

Boise State QB Hank Bachmeier, Colorado State WR Dante Wright Are MWwire’s 2019 Co-Freshmen of the Year

The Broncos quarterback and Rams wide receiver share our staff’s honor as Mountain West football’s freshmen of the year.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The kids are alright.

A number of young stars stepped into the void left by the litany of departures from the Mountain West last off-season, enough so that two have earned the right to be named our staff’s picks as freshmen of the year: Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier and Colorado State wide receiver Dante Wright.

The Bronco they call “Hurricane Hank”, who was also our staff’s pick as preseason freshman of the year, arrived with a great deal of hype and lived up to it almost immediately, rallying Boise State for a win on the road against Florida State and earning a reputation as a gunslinger unafraid of contact. Though he missed four of the team’s last five games with injury, Bachmeier acquitted himself well in his seven games under center, completing 63.2% of his passes at 9.1 yards per attempt with nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

Dante Wright, meanwhile, may not have the flashy nickname but more than made up for it by being a do-it-all weapon for the Rams offense, scoring six touchdowns for Colorado State this fall. His 1,154 all-purpose yards are also the most by a Mountain West freshman receiver since Davante Adams in 2012, as were his 11 plays of 30-plus yards, making him a human highlight reel sure to excite the green and gold for years to come.

 

Also received votes: George Holani, Boise State; Solomon Byrd, Wyoming; Sean Chambers, Wyoming; Chevan Cordeiro, Hawaii

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